Kiamichi Refuge (6 page)

Third Week of May

Turning into the long driveway that led to his kennel and training facility, Tanner turned to look at Erin. “I am going to follow you home. You’ll take Blitz today. We can do another session later, but I’ll feel better if I know that he’s with you.”

“Bagram and Kandahar are a long way from here, Tanner,” Erin murmured.

“I realize that, but hearing that news just made me think about how fragile life is. I don’t ever want anything bad to happen to you. I care about you. I care a lot,” Tanner admitted. “I don’t mean to rush you, but you should know that I want you in my life. My whole life.”

***

Tanner followed Erin and Blitz to the lodge and checked around outside, but found no sign that anyone had been in the yard recently. Then they stepped inside, and Tanner had Blitz check every room for intruders. “Blitz can do a check without supervision. It would be a good idea for you to have him do that every time you come home, while you wait down here until he’s finished.”

“Thank you for everything. I had a good time today, until the news came on. I’m going to cook up some dinner. Will you stay and eat with me?”

“I’d love to. Do you mind if I turn on the news to see what else they’ve learned, or will it upset you?

“I’m not one to fall apart easily. I’d rather know what’s going on than walk around with my head in the clouds, ignorant and unprepared. The remote’s on the table beside the recliner.”

Not all of the news they heard was bad, but the situation in Afghanistan was bleak. Over four hundred British and American military personnel had been killed, many by poison put in their food by Afghans who worked on the base, and hundreds more were injured in the fighting. The sheer numbers of wounded overwhelmed the base hospital, which had one of the most technologically advanced trauma centers in the world, The main attack on the base was mostly thwarted by C-RAMs, which protected the base from rocket attacks. The ten Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar systems on the base are equipped with FLIR (Forward-Looking InfraRed) cameras that can detect incoming rockets. The Taliban’s Chinese-made 107mm rockets were mostly ineffectual against the C-RAMs, but at least two did get through.

Most of the casualties at Kandahar were innocent civilians on the plane and in the terminal. Rescue teams were still trying to dig through the rubble, so the numbers of dead and injured would probably continue to climb.

In addition, Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province stopped an attempt by a suicide bomber, while British troops at nearby Camp Bastion were successful in preventing the sabotage of several C-5 cargo planes.

***

Erin and Tanner ate their meal of salad, garlic bread, and Erin’s special rigatoni in near silence, as they absorbed the terrible news. They cleared the table and loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

“That was delicious. Thank you for sharing with me.” Tanner patted his flat stomach. “If I didn’t know that I’m Choctaw and Scottish, I would swear that I must be Italian. I have never tried an Italian dish that I didn’t like.”

“Me, either. I’m pretty sure I was Italian in a former life,” Erin chuckled.

Tanner gently pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. She stretched up to put her arms around his neck, and as she did, he felt the butt of her gun. He eased back and lifted the side of the loose plaid shirt that she wore over a yellow tank top.

“You got a license to carry that?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Of course. Doesn’t everyone? Uncle Ernie taught me to shoot and take care of my guns when I was a kid. I’m a good shot, too.”

“Guns, as in plural? Good. Oh, I remember now; you mentioned that you couldn’t carry inside the courthouse. I’m relieved to know that you weren’t joking about having a gun. With Blitz and guns, I won’t worry. Well, not as much, anyway.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I better go. Lock the door behind me. I’ll call you in the morning. Goodnight, love.”

Erin walked him to the door, locked it behind him, and turned to Blitz.

“’Love’?” she pondered.

Blitz merely wagged his tail.

Third Week of May

Instead of calling the next morning, Tanner showed up right after breakfast. Erin was about to turn her computer on when she heard the knock at the front door. Blitz was already on alert even before she got to the living room. She checked to see who was on the porch before unlocking and opening the door.

“Good morning, milady,” Tanner drawled. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d check in on you.”

“’In the neighborhood’? Really? What were you doing, visiting the third tree on the left?” Erin’s eyes sparkled with laughter.

“You caught me. I drove all the way over here just to see your smile. And also to ask if we could perhaps go on a hike or something.”

“Hmmm. Maybe, but only if Blitz comes along to protect me from wolves,” she teased. “Let me get my boots on.”

***

Erin led Tanner around the west side of the mountain. They strolled through the forest, holding hands when the path was not so narrow that they had to walk single file.

Climbing up on a boulder near the top of the mountain, they gazed out at the green vista spread below.

“I am so grateful to Uncle Ernie for this place. I miss him a lot, every single day, but this place helps me feel close to him somehow.  I didn’t even know about the lodge. He never mentioned it.”

“Right after he bought it, he told me that it was for you. He used it for a while, and loved it up here. I guess he wanted it to be a surprise.”

“It definitely was. Now I just have to decide what to do about the house in town. Do you think I should put it on the market? With the economy in a slump, it probably won’t sell quickly.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try. I have a friend who’s an agent. We could ask him what he thinks.”

“Okay. I hate to sell it, but I don’t need two houses, and I don’t think I’ll ever want to live anywhere but the lodge. I could use it for a rental property, but I really don’t want the hassles. I think I’d like to talk to your realtor friend.”

“I’ll give him a call when we get back to the lodge. Hey, do you see that? Over there,” Tanner pointed. “There’s an area that’s a different shade of green, right down there. Let’s go check it out.”

Tanner jumped down off the boulder, then helped Erin down. “Call Blitz. He’s your dog now, and you need to reinforce who’s alpha.”

“Blitz, here!” Erin called, and the big pup raced toward her, skidding to a stop and giving her a doggy grin. They made their way down the hill toward the patch that Tanner had seen, stopping in a stand of trees.

“Uh-oh. Is that on your land?” Tanner asked.

“No. It’s very close, though. See that stake over there?” Turning, she pointed to another stake. “And that one? They mark the property’s east boundary. Ernie had it surveyed before he bought it.”

“Okay, that’s good. Do you know what those plants are?”

Before Erin could answer, they heard someone muttering. A few seconds later, an older man appeared and began to examine the plants, still talking softly to himself.

“Yep, comin’ along real nice there. Won’t be long now.”

“Charlie?” Tanner called. “You old codger, what are you doing way out here?”

The man turned, a guilty expression on his face. His long, graying hair was braided and tied with a strip of leather. He squinted up at Tanner and Erin, then grinned, stepping closer.

“Tanner McNeil! It’s good to see you,” the old fellow replied, thrusting his hand out to shake Tanner’s. “I guess I’m caught, ain’t I?

“Indeed you are, but only by us. Erin, this disreputable old coot is Charles Farley, a friend of my family’s. Charlie, this is Erin Miller, Ernie’s niece.”

“What’s a lovely lady like you doin’ out in the woods with this here unsavory character?” Charlie tilted his head toward Tanner. “But then, I guess it’s better than bein’ seen in public with him.”

Erin smiled. “You two remind me of Dad and Uncle Ernie, always going on at each other. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Farley.”

“Call me Charlie. I’m glad to meet you, too. Ernie was a good man. I’m real sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” Erin looked him with mock sternness. “Now, would you please tell me what it is we ‘caught’ you doing?”

“Well…,” Charlie hesitated. “I suppose that would be checkin’ on my lovely plants here.” He gestured toward the tall, leafy vegetation.

Erin glanced at Tanner, confused, then it finally soaked in. “Marijuana? You’re growing
marijuana
next to my property?”

“Well, just a little. Only enough for my personal use. I don’t sell it, not ever.” Charlie looked sheepish. “I do have permission to be on that land. I’m livin’ in the old huntin; shack.”

“But does the landowner know that you’re growing weed?” Tanner interjected, eyebrows raised.

“Uh, no. He lives in Atlanta and ain’t been around in years. You gonna turn me in? Deputy Kline would like nothin’ better’n to arrest me. Never has liked me, and the feelin’ is mutual.”

“Erin, it’s your call, but I’ve known this old hippie my whole life, and if he says he isn’t selling it, I believe him.”

Erin sighed. “Charlie, you don’t smoke and drive, do you?”

“Oh, no way! I only use it at home, at night, to help with the pain when my arthritis gets to actin’ up. It helps me sleep, and it makes me feel pretty good, too.”

“I have never used drugs myself, but I guess we don’t need to report this to the authorities. We’ll just pretend we didn’t see it. Deal?” Erin offered her hand.

“Deal!” Charlie grinned and shook Erin’s hand.

Third Week of May

Tanner and Erin got back to the lodge about noon, so Erin offered to make lunch. “I’ve got some leftover pot roast and some bread that I baked yesterday. I could put together some sandwiches.”

“Sounds great. While you do that, I’ll call the realtor and see about maybe listing your house in town.”

***

“Did your realtor friend think the house might sell?”

“He said it’s a tough market, so it’s hard to tell, but it’s a solidly built house in a nice location, so maybe it will. He advised putting it on the market just to see.”

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Tanner leaned back in his chair. “Hmmm. Let me see. She’s beautiful, classy, smart,
and
she can cook. What a woman!”

“Thank you.” Erin blushed to the roots of her hair, then cleared her throat.

“Now, what are you doing tomorrow? And the next day?”

Erin laughed. “Tanner! I have work to do. I just got a new book to edit, and you have a dog-training business to run. Could we just slow down a little, please?

“Sure. I’m sorry. I promised myself that I wouldn’t rush you, but it’s hard. I feel like I’ve known you all my life. I’ll back off. If I forget, just sic Blitz on me, okay? He cupped her cheek with his hand. “I’d really, really hate to scare you off,” he whispered.

***

Erin turned on her computer later that evening, and did some serious shopping. She ordered twenty sleeping bags and twenty cots, from five different websites.
No use setting off any alarms anywhere,
she decided.
I guess I did learn a few things from editing Uncle Ernie’s books. Spread it around, and don’t draw attention to purchases that label you as a prepper.

She found a few websites where she could shop for all sorts of homesteading and off-the-grid supplies and tools, and ordered a few items that she thought might be useful, if for some reason the solar panels on the roof stopped working, then decided it wouldn’t hurt to have more buckets of wheat and other staples. Another grinder would be good, too, and several more buckets of coffee beans.
I need my coffee, and if others decide to join me here, as it looks like they will, we will need a lot! There’s still room in the cavern for more freeze dried foods, too. I might as well spend Uncle Ernie’s money before it becomes worthless. Express shipping is probably worth the extra cost, too, under the current circumstances.

Grabbing a sandwich and a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, she padded into the living room and sat cross-legged on the sofa.

“Let’s see if there is anything on TV, shall we, Blitz?” The dog cocked his head to one side, then plopped down on the rug.

Flipping through the channels, Erin stopped suddenly on a news program. “Early this morning, Kandahar time, two as yet unidentified pilots flew over a neighborhood in Kandahar City, firing rockets into several buildings. It is believed that this was in retaliation for the attacks yesterday on Kandahar Airport, Bagram Airbase, and Camps Leatherneck and Bastion.

“The neighborhood was rumored to be a Taliban stronghold; however, many of those killed or injured were elderly people, women, and children.”

The two pilots, both Americans, are in custody and will be transported to the US. Charges are expected to be filed tomorrow. This is Bill Simpson, from Kandahar.”

***

Two days later, with Lydia’s shop closed for the day, she and Erin met in town and decided to drive over to Krebs and have lunch at one of the famous restaurants there. Erin ordered lasagna and Lydia had a small steak.

“What do you think about the situation in Afghanistan?” Erin asked.

“It’s a terrible thing. I guess our guys just got fed up. I heard that both of those pilots lost friends in the terrorist attacks, and the government didn’t seem to be doing much about it. I guess they just had all they could stand, but they should have waited and not taken it into their own hands. What they did makes them terrorists, too, really.”

I know a guy who just got back from Bagram a couple of weeks ago. He said that they have a lot of fast food places on the base, ones like you would see driving through any American city, and they hire Afghan civilians to work there. They have Afghan military personnel there, too. He said he never trusted any of them.”

Erin took a sip of her water, and frowned. “This is getting ugly in a hurry. I’m praying that it blows over, but I don’t think it will. There was a lot of speculation on the Internet this morning about what might happen next, and videos of several mullahs in Muslim countries, ranting against NATO forces being in Afghanistan. There were even a couple of video clips about imams here in the US who were preaching about the start of a new jihad. They were encouraging violence, especially against Americans. People are angry all over the Muslim world.”